The Cedar Springs City Council approved an agreement with the Red Flannel Festival Board to donate in kind services during the Festival, as well as an agreement to use any of the Festival’s 14 trademarks in return for the in kind services.

The Council voted in favor of both agreements 5-1, at their regular meeting on Thursday, July 9. Only Councilor Perry Hopkins voted against it. Councilor Bob Truesdale was absent.

“We are grateful this City Council negotiated fairly and in good faith,” said Festival President Michele Tracy. “This reinstates and memorializes the original 69 year handshake agreement, and provides a solid foundation for the long term sustainability of the Festival. We couldn’t be happier for Red Flannel Town, U.S.A.!”

The City voted in August 2012 to stop using the Red Flannel logos and initiate development of their own logo, after an ongoing disagreement over who had the right to use the logos, which the RF Festival had trademarked. The Festival disputed that the city had common law rights to the trademarks, and in August 2012 sent a letter with a notice that they would file for trademark infringement. The Red Flannel Festival had asked for a $4,000 licensing fee for the city to use two of the trademarks, and the city declined, stating that they had used them for 70-plus years. The Council then voted 6-1 to drop the RF logo.

The City removed all Red Flannels from City letterhead, trucks, benches, etc., and eventually created their own logo. However, the members of that City Council are no longer on the Council. The only person left on City Council that was part of that vote was current Mayor Pro Tem Pam Conley, and she was the lone nay vote three years ago.

Conley said, “I have always believed the community wants there to be a supportive working relationship between the City and all of our community groups, especially Red Flannel. I am glad to have had the opportunity to affirm that.”

The Council has not yet voted on if or where they will use any of the Red Flannel logos.

Will Cedar Springs be known once again as the Red Flannel Town? If an agreement between the City and the Red Flannel Festival is approved, the City could once again use that nickname at no charge.

A City committee made up of Mayor Pro Tem Pam Conley, and Councilors Dan Clark and Molly Nixon, met with Red Flannel President Michele Tracy and her committee, to work out an agreement. The RFF lawyer then drew up the agreements that the City Council will discuss Thursday evening, May 14, for the first time.

Under the agreement, the City would trade in-kind services in order to license the various logos owned by the Festival. They would not bill the Festival for any services.

“That type of agreement—the trading of in-kind services—seemed to be the most popular way of handling this, according to the West Michigan Municipal League,” commented Clark.

Tracy is pleased with the progress they are making. “The Red Flannel Board is thrilled to have open, honest, sincere dialogue with the City Ad Hoc Committee,” she said. “Our first meeting went smoothly.”

Since the City no longer has their own police department, the Festival would need to contract for their own security, and, according to Michele Andres, they have met with Sgt. Jason Kelley, of the Kent County Sheriff Department’s Cedar Springs unit, and are waiting for an estimate.